Thousands witness ‘makarajyoti’

The Sabarimala Sannidhanam turned into a sea of humanity by afternoon with tens of thousands of pilgrims from different parts of the country camping at the holy hillock witnessed the annual Makarajyoti yesterday.
The temple and the base camp Pampa are overflowing with devotees since the last few days, making it a challenge for police to manage the crowd. The pooja was conducted at 6 44pm followed by darshan of the ‘makarajyothi’, a flicker of light across the eastern horizon, which is considered as a divine phenomenon at 7.10pm.

Makarasamkramam is the time when the sun moves from ‘dhanu rasi’ (Sagittarius zodiac sign) to ‘Makaram rasi’ (Capricorn).

Pilgrims have been camping at the top the hill in makeshift tents and shacks, with devotees from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka forming a major chunk of them. Forests surrounding the Sannidhanam, the Pampa hilltop, and Attathode were almost fully occupied by pilgrims.

A Kalabhabhishekom marking the culmination of the Neyyabhishekom offering during the Makaravilakku festival will be performed prior to the Utchapuja on January 18.

The Gurusi ritual to propitiate the ‘Bhoothagana’ of Lord Ayyappa will be performed at Malikappuram on January 19 evening. The Ayyappa temple will be closed after the exclusive customary holy darshan by the royal representative at 7 am on January 20.